to reduce our deficits without harming our economy. but congress has to act in order for that to happen. now for two years i've offered a balanced approach to deficit reduction that would prevent these harmful cuts. i outlined it again last week at the state of the union. i am willing to cut more spending that we don't need, get rid of programs that aren't working, i've laid out specific reforms to our entitlement programs that can achieve the same amount of healthcare savings by the beginning of the next decade as the reforms that were proposed by the bipartisan simpson-bowles commission. i'm willing to save hundreds of billions of dollars by enacting comprehensive tax reform that gets rid of tax loopholes and deductions for the well off and well connected, without raising tax rates. i believe such a balanced approach that combines tax reform with some additional spending reforms, done in a smart, thoughtful way, is the best way to finish the job of deficit reduction, and avoid these cuts once and for all that could hurt our economy,